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Black Ghosts (2015)

Plot: Maya (Sandra Karinsdotter) has been unable to move on after the death of her beloved girlfriend Lucy (Alexandra Bryngelsson), but she thinks she can tap into the occult to stage a reunion. She begins a series of dark rituals, calling out to the spirits of the dead to open a path for Lucy to return. Her efforts are noticed by those on the other side, but instead of Lucy, she summons in a host of dark, malevolent spirits that thrive on tormenting her. The rituals have opened a portal into the abyss and the spirits have poured through, with intentions to prey upon Maya and haunt her mind, until she is given over to the darkness. Can she survive and fend off these horrific spirits and will ever see her beloved Lucy one last time?

Entertainment Value: A surreal, mind melting tale of a woman desperate to reconnect with her deceased lover, Black Ghosts is like a cinematic acid trip. I can see why some wouldn’t appreciate this one, as it is a little slow, offbeat, and low rent, but I found it to be a unique and creative vision, one that sticks with you if you’re into weird, wild movies in general. The story is simple enough, but it begins to jump the tracks and run off course in some strange directions, made even more odd by the creative choices. The ghosts are like hideous and distorted faces, surrounded by this mass of shifting black in. The visual looks cheap at first glance, but offers an interesting spin spirits and the creepy faces can be quite effective. Sandra Karinsdotter is the lead and she is one of few non ghosts here, so she has a lot to carry on her shoulders. I think she does well, though her performance is odd at times, but in line with the tone and other actors. Her lines are slow, almost rhythmic at times, which takes some getting used to, but as I said, it seems to fit in with the rest of the performances. This is an offbeat, unsettling movie with some elements that might be seen as cheap or low rent, but I think it is a unique and creative effort, one that is well worth a look.

No nakedness. The movie has some light blood from a couple of stab wounds, as well as a rather crimson soaked gut munching session, but this is more about visuals and atmosphere than gore, to be sure. But the movie does provide a cake made with love and blood, so that’s a nice touch. I also liked the excessive vomiting of some horrific black, blood like substance at one point. The dialogue is kind of odd in this one, with the slow, unusual cadence I mentioned before. This isn’t a constant presence in the movie, so I assume it was used as a creative device and while offbeat, it is kind of fun and adds to the film’s eerie, unsettling vibe. While most of the dialogue is serious, there’s enough strange lines to earn a couple points, as well as extra point for the oddball rhythm so many of the lines are delivered with. As for craziness, well Black Ghosts is loaded with surreal, off the wall, and unpredictable moments, some serious and others on the more outlandish side. Even if you don’t love the movie, you have admire the weird, creative approach employed here. The ink spill ghosts, rampant sniffing of panties, stylish wood chopping, paper mache, vehicular jam sessions, trippy visit to a zoo, and general odd atmosphere are all quite memorable.